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Quirky Folk - September 2011

Ethics

September 29th 2011 21:00


It’s something I’ve always wondered about. Interestingly, Fred independently had the same thought. It’s to do with nature documentary film crews. As we all know, the camera crew simply film animals killing and eating one another. What Fred and I have been wondering about is whether the film crew should actually stop the killing in the first place.

This came about after I was telling Fred about a scene from the Great Migrations documentary series that had recently screened on Channel 7. An antelope had just delivered a calf. The mother waited for the calf to stand but it was too weak. Meanwhile, a group of hyenas waited nearby. The mother kept waiting and waiting for her calf to rise. In the end, she had to walk away. Now that the calf was totally defenceless, the hyenas then pounced. You can imagine what happened next.


“It was one of the saddest things I’ve ever seen,” I told Fred. “Imagine being eaten alive. I couldn’t think of a worse way to die.”

“Well, the hyenas have to eat. And what about the cameraman? Couldn’t have he have stepped in to save it?”

“I’ve always wondered how ethical it is just to stand there and film animals killing each other.”

“That’s what happens in the wild. We just happen to be at the top of the food chain.”

“Most of the time,” I corrected. “If we were swimming in the ocean and there was a shark nearby, we wouldn’t be.”

“I’m talking about what normally happens. Animals kill each other for food which is why I eat meat.”

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She’s a BOP Girl

September 28th 2011 21:00



I’ve been cheating again. This time it’s with birds of paradise or, BOP, for short.

I have been spending my weekends at the Australian Museum shop, buying leftover paraphernalia of their Rituals of Seduction BOP exhibition. So far, I have purchased the cards and a copy of Explore, the Museum’s magazine. I’ve now got my eye on one of their signed copies BOP books. At $99 a copy, I better start saving now.


When I told Fred about my latest animal love, he sounded horrified.

“What happened to your moggy love?” he asked me in a text message. “Why boids?” (I have yet to ask Fred why he refers to birds as ‘boids’.)

“These aren’t ordinary birds,” I messaged back. “These are birds of paradise.”

When I showed a colleague my BOP cards, he was like, huh?

“Why are the males so nice and the females so plain-looking?” he asked me.

“Because that’s how things work in the bird world. Just look at peacocks. The males are so colourful but the females are dull.”

Okay, so the two of them fail to understand my new obsession. But come on, just check out the specimen in the above photo. He’s just so damn handsome!
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Epic Fail

September 27th 2011 21:00


I think the copy editor stuffed up here:


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Fluffy

September 26th 2011 21:00
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I Want One

September 25th 2011 21:00


How cute is this? Millie the seal robot spends her time visiting patients with dementia HERE. The results speak for themselves: One patient started speaking again after he commenced seal – or should that be robot? – therapy with her.

[ Click here to read more ]
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The Caterpillar Killing

September 22nd 2011 21:00


So far, I have been successful in trying not to kill insects in my home. I normally let the odd cockroach or spider out the door, not that I have that many to begin with due to me living in a well maintained building that has a lovely English garden in the front. That garden, of course, is a caterpillar haven which is hell for caterpillarphobics like me.

[ Click here to read more ]
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From Catlover to Birdlover

September 21st 2011 21:00
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Cat vs. Bird

September 20th 2011 21:00


Okay, I get it: No wonder people hate cats. Just look at how much wildlife the average cat is supposed to kill each year as per the Australian Museum:

[ Click here to read more ]
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My new Hang out: the Australian Museum

September 19th 2011 21:00
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Who Said Cats Aren’t Loving?

September 18th 2011 21:00


Graeme the cat spends every morning hanging around the platform on Melbourne’s Hurstbridge line. And every evening he can be seen at the opposite platform, waiting for his human parent to alight. He seems to know exactly where she will get off.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Brett’s Guilt

September 15th 2011 21:00
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Rachael Hale Mug

September 14th 2011 21:00
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Ginger Cat Figurine

September 13th 2011 21:00
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Bird Whistles

September 12th 2011 21:00
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Borders Playlist

September 11th 2011 21:00


It’s amazing how eclectic some people’s tastes in music are. While I have chosen to stick to soul music, my Durannie sister now listens to Lady Gaga, the Presets, MGMT and Usher. Fred likes Bob Dylan and electronic music. And audio visual man Brett likes basically everything except for heavy metal and techno.

[ Click here to read more ]
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R.I.P. Dymocks World Square

September 8th 2011 21:00


I’m beginning to think Minister for Small Business Nick Sherry is right when he said there will be no book stores in five years time: walking home from Chinatown over the weekend, I decided to take a detour through World Square shopping centre just to have a quick browse at their Dymocks store. Yep, you guessed it, it has shut down.

[ Click here to read more ]
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Singenpoo

September 7th 2011 21:00
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Surly Brett

September 6th 2011 21:00
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Missing Bird

September 5th 2011 21:00
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Borders is Still Around (Well, Sort of)

September 4th 2011 21:00
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Old Soul

September 1st 2011 21:00
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